After a flood, you should always check that the water, food and medicine you have is safe to consume. Here is general advice to keep you from getting crook.
Safe water
- Do not drink untreated or contaminated water.
- Even if water looks okay to drink, it may have bad bacteria or chemicals in it that can make you sick.
- The best way to know if water is safe to drink is to listen to your local radio and TV station or check your local council’s website (if possible) for updates on the water supply.
- If there is no other water available, boil and let cool before drinking.
Food safety
- Throw away any food that has had direct contact with flood waters.
- If you have lost power to your fridge or freezer or if the appliance(s) stops working
- Avoid opening the fridge or freezer as much as possible, to keep cold air in.
- Unopened fridges should be able to stay cool for up to 4 hours and freezers for up to 24 hours.
- In longer power outages, you can safely eat food that has been out of the fridge for 2 hours, but not longer than that. Frozen food that has thawed can be eaten if it is still cold. Do not re-freeze these foods.
- Contaminated surfaces and utensils
- Discard any flood-exposed wooden utensils and cutting boards or damaged items with cracks and chips, as it is not possible to remove germs from them.
- Wash utensils and surfaces in hot soapy water and allow to air-dry. Clean metal cutlery, pots and utensils by pouring boiling water over them for 10 minutes. Clean dishes and other crockery by immersing in a weak bleach solution (1 tablespoon bleach to 2 litres of water) for 10 minutes and rinse.
- Clean cupboards and counters with hot soapy water and then rinse with diluted bleach before storing food.
- What to do with canned food and other food in air-tight containers that have been exposed to flood waters?
- Discard any cans that are dented, swollen or damaged.
- For tins with no damage, clean them thoroughly by removing the label, washing the cans in warm soapy water, sanitising with a weak bleach solution (1 tablespoon bleach to 2 litres of water) for one minute and then rinsing with water. Re-label the cans using a permanent marker. Do a similar process for air-tight containers with food inside if the seal has not been broken.
- If you have a vegetable garden that has flooded, do not consumer leafy green produce – you need to throw it away. Do not pick other vegetables for consumption for one month after flooding. After a month, pick any vegetables that are ripe, wash and then sanitise with a weak bleach solution (1 tablespoon bleach to 2 litres of water) before rinsing. Peel the vegetables and they can then be consumed.
Medication safety
Disasters can impact access to medications. Some tips for accessing medication during a disaster and ensuring your medicine is safe following one include:
- Ensure you have all your medications, prescriptions, medical care plans and other important medical information in a safe and accessible location you can easily take with you in an emergency
- If you don’t have your prescription, your usual pharmacy may be able to give you a small supply without a prescription as an emergency supply
- If you are having trouble accessing money for medication, you can try and organise an emergency payment from Centrelink
- You can contact Mob Link (1800 254 354), 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84), Medicines Line on 1300 633 424 (1300 MEDICINE), your doctor, pharmacist, hospital or health clinic for more information
Some medication may be damaged or unsafe after a disaster. You should always check that your medication has not been affected. If you need to dispose of your medication, please talk to your pharmacist about how to do this safely. Dispose of any medication if:
- It has had any contact with contaminated floodwater
- It has been exposed to heat or smoke from a fire
- There is damage to the product or packaging from an impact (for example, the label is illegible or damaged, the container is punctured, a blister strip is damaged)
- It has been exposed to temperatures, light or humidity outside of the manufacturer’s recommendations (such as if power is unavailable for medications that require refrigeration)
If you are unsure if your medicines are safe to use, you can contact Mob Link (1800 254 354), 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84), Medicines Line on 1300 633 424 (1300 MEDICINE), your doctor, pharmacist, hospital or health clinic for more information